'The Fighter'

Mark Wahlberg shepherded this superb drama through the production process for years, but ironically, he was the only major cast principal not to score an Oscar nomination for the true story of Boston boxer-against-the-odds Micky Ward.

Those up for the honors included Christian Bale (who won) as Ward's fighter-turned-trainer half brother, Melissa Leo (who also won) as their mother and Amy Adams as Ward's tough-in-her-own-right girlfriend. Director David O. Russell not only draws superb performances from all of them, he also generates an indelible sense of the tale's setting. DVD extras: "making-of" documentary; audio commentary by Russell. **** (R: AS, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray)